The Magic Pool Beyond the Garden

Lily loved her golden retriever puppy, Sunny. Sunny had the softest fur — hair that shimmered like sunshine when he ran through their backyard. But Sunny's favorite thing was digging.

One afternoon, Sunny dug deeper than ever before. His paws scratched against something hard. Lily rushed over and helped him pull away the dirt until they revealed a small wooden door.

Inside was a tunnel that glowed with blue light. Hand in paw, they crawled through until they tumbled out into a secret garden. In the center stood a pool of water that sparkled like liquid diamonds.

"Who goes there?" a voice called.

A sleek red fox with the smartest eyes stepped from behind a rosebush. "I'm Finnegan," said the fox. "This is the Moon Pool. It grants one wish each full moon — but only to those who prove their hearts are true."

Lily's eyes widened. "Can we try?"

Finnegan nodded. "First, a test of kindness."

He pointed to three baby birds that had fallen from their nest. Sunny immediately lay down and let the tiny birds climb onto his soft fur. Lily carefully lifted them back into their tree.

"Well done," said Finnegan. "Now, what do you wish for?"

Lily looked at Sunny, whose golden hair was covered in dirt from rescuing the birds. She thought about toys, or candy, or adventures. But then she looked at Finnegan, who seemed lonely guarding the pool all alone.

"I wish," said Lily, "that Finnegan could have friends to visit him whenever he wants."

The pool began to glow. The water swirled and sparkled. Out rose hundreds of small floating lights — fireflies that would guide children to the secret garden whenever they needed a friend.

Finnegan's eyes shone with happy tears. "You have the truest heart I've ever seen."

From that day on, Sunny and Lily visited Finnegan often. And sometimes, if you look closely at your dog's fur when they've been playing outside, you might see a little bit of that magic pool's sparkle still there.

The best wishes, Lily learned, aren't the ones you make for yourself — they're the ones you make for others.